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Scrapbooks of my mind

I've recently begun watching an old TV series called Combat. It was one of the first war series on TV. It's funny that at the time, studio executives and actors didn't realize how popular it would become. I think it's because those veterans of WW2 (many of whom were involved in the production) didn't realize how many of their children (like me) were hungry for the stories they were trying to forget.
The show starred Rick Jason and Vic Morrow, or Vic Morrow and Rick Jason, depending on which week you were watching. I've never noticed a TV show before or since that alternated top billing for the stars. I think that speaks volumes for the kind of rapport these guys must have had with each other. As you may remember, if you're old enough, Vic Morrow died during the making of the Twilight Zone movie in 1982. A lesser known fact, and one I was shocked to learn, is that Rick shot himself in 2000. Before he died he wrote an autobiography that I'll share with you here...Foreword : Writing about my life in Hollywood
It's an amazing story of Hollywood, caterers, and Vic's dusty old Morgan. There's lots of Red Pills in his story. Rick was married five times. His accolades went way beyond just the Combat TV series. In the end, he shares recipes...yeah, ladies, recipes!
I hope you'll take the time to read this fascinating story. I read recently that the U.S. copyright office has just released a shit ton of material that will now be public domain. I wonder...hmmm...I wrote a novel once (The Operative) that some of my friends think needs a sequel. Some of my readers have even suggested that I got the ending wrong. As I watch these re-runs I realize that I learned Army tactics from these guys when I was growing up. Much of it ended up in my book. Imagine the guys from Hanley's squad running into my character after he's been stuck there in Europe for a year? It would make for an interesting episode.

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

Combat is my all-time favorite series. I watched every episode a couple years ago, but that was a mistake, because watching anything else after that takes you downhill.

I'll go so far as to say that the best World War II movie ever made wasn't a movie at all. It was the Combat multi-episode named "Hills Are For Heroes." Jack Hogan got a chance to leverage his true acting talent during those three episodes. He could get really intense. Anyone who's even remotely interested in WWII should check it out on Youtube.

The other thing I want to say about Combat is that, imo, there wasn't one dud in the series. Even the very first episode was fantastic. In terms of acting, however, Albert Paulsen stole that particular one. Intense and authentic.

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

I grew up on war films and westerns. Even now I tend to only watch old films. You start to realize how much creative talent we have lost when you try and watch a new film. They just can't compete no matter how much CGI they like to throw in.

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

Current reality tv doesn't seem real to me. Same with anything else regarding movie or film.

Meanwhile I watch the classics and marvel how it actually does give you a glimpse of how society used to be. Not 100% accurate but fairly close which shows that film and tv has drifted into fantasy land for quite some time.

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

I've run out of good WWII movies to watch, so I've started watching film noir from the '30s-'60s. Man, the studios put out some pretty fine product back then, even lowly Columbia. Recent favorite: "White Heat" (Warner, 1949), starring James Cagney. He was also great in "13 Rue Madeleine" (20th Century Fox, 1946).

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

Originally Posted by Azure Nomad

Current reality tv doesn't seem real to me. Same with anything else regarding movie or film.

Meanwhile I watch the classics and marvel how it actually does give you a glimpse of how society used to be. Not 100% accurate but fairly close which shows that film and tv has drifted into fantasy land for quite some time.

That is how I see it. How much nicer things were in the past. I am sure there is some fantasy involved but the writing itself, the overall quality shows people were smarter back then and more well rounded. Also because of censorship they had to find ways to express things without just straight out showing them like they do now.

Originally Posted by kru-kut

I've run out of good WWII movies to watch, so I've started watching film noir from the '30s-'60s. Man, the studios put out some pretty fine product back then, even lowly Columbia. Recent favorite: "White Heat" (Warner, 1949), starring James Cagney. He was also great in "13 Rue Madeleine" (20th Century Fox, 1946).

Film noir is great stuff and something they cannot do now at all no matter how hard they have tried at times.

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

Originally Posted by toolate

Combat was my childhood source of role models along with Astronauts.

And Star Trek The Original Series. I absorbed them into the ethics of my boyhood.

I watched Combat every week as a boy. Lt. Hanley and Sgt. Saunders. The sound of the jeeps. The ubiquitous blown up towns and rubble. The unknown dangers and enemy snipers. Caje, the French soldier, offering the orphans kids chocolat.

The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why. - Mark Twain
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. - Henry David Thoreau

There are 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Re: Scrapbooks of my mind

Another thing I've noticed is that the characters refer to events in previous episodes. No other series of the time did that. It was always as if each episode was a single show by itself on other shows, but not with Combat. The guest stars were a who's who list of up and coming stars like Robert Culp, Ben Cross, and the list goes on and on. When Combat surprised everyone with its ratings that's when more war shows started popping up like Rat Patrol. But none of those other shows had Rick Jason and Vic Morrow. I'd have to say that Vic was my favorite along with Pierre Jalbert the Cajun from N'awlins (that's New Orleans for you yankees).